


PSMD: What Lies in the Heart

by a2h1ey



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, F/M, Fanfiction, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-09-18 15:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9390704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a2h1ey/pseuds/a2h1ey
Summary: April, a shy girl who wakes up one day with little memories in a strange land as a Riolu. Zero, a carefree and energetic Froakie with a mysterious past. Ranger, a brave and loyal Rowlet trying to find his path. The Tree of Life is dying, and the world's on the verge of destruction from it's own doing. Not only will they have to be brave to save the world, but also find their hearts.Rated Teen because... Well, what's a good adventure story without a bit of suspense here or there?Note: A Semi-Novelization of PSMD with some variances. Just saying~





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! /Sara, again with a new story?/ Yeah, I know, but I noticed a COMPLETE lack of Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon fanfics, and I actually really like the game a lot, so I restarted a new game! (Surprisingly enough, I got two of my favorite Pokemon as my character and partner! But I also added my favorite Alolan starter, heheh~) Anyways, here's the Prologue, hope you enjoy!
> 
> MAJOR SPOILER'S ALERT: This story is based off of the PSMD game, and it's mostly a novelization with a few changes here and there that I made, including a major plot twist later on. Just warning you now if you've never played~
> 
> (Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, and sadly never will.)

Ugh….

"...Hey..."

...What...Is…?...

"Hey… You must wake up…"

Who?...

"I've been waiting for you; I've been waiting for you a very long time, you know."

Waiting… For me?...

"Yes. I've been waiting for you to come bring back what is ever so slowly being lost."

What's… Been lost?...

"But, you must first grow stronger; to brave this plight, your heart must stay true."

"Now… WAKE UP!"

0o0o0

Something is not right…. The darkness of the quiet space surrounded the glowing streak as it raced through the void, finally stopping when it came upon the blue and green world. What could be… Wait, what is that? The long-limbed pokemon turned it's red body as something long and green came flying at it. Shielding himself, Deoxys backed off as a green serpentine body flew right by him, heading farther into space.

Was that… the legendary Pokemon, Rayquaza? But why has it come so far up past the ozone layer to the stratosphere?… The Pokemon wondered, but then his turned attention back to the planet. Even still, I can sense it…. Something dark must has come onto this world…

Something… Evil…


	2. Ch. 1: Awaken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now awake, lost, and alone, what will a human-turned-Pokemon without any memories do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Okay, so just saying, I wrote this actually using Google Docs, and I'm noticing that the italicized words for April's thoughts aren't really showing, so... I hope that doesn't confuse anyone? If I have time, I may go back and fix it later. Oh, and like all my other stories, I wrote this on the fly, so no real editing happened, so.. Hope it isn't that bad? Let me know, thanks!
> 
> Also, describing the inside of a mystery dungeon... It's rarely mentioned in many other stories I've read, so I've come to describe them kind of being like the 'rooms' as meadows and the 'corridors' or 'paths' as being a path or just some break in the thick trees you can go through, if that makes sense, so you don't get confused.

Ugh…. My head and throat…. I began to blink open my eyes, and I felt absolutely awful as red spots slowly began to fade out of my vision. In their place, I could see… branches and leaves? What?… I frowned as I stared at the canopy, blue skies with white, cottony clouds floating by, the sun’s rays piercing through the leaves. As I simply looked, the pounding in my head slowly fading to a dull ache, I noticed I was laying down, feeling soft grass underneath me. Slowly becoming aware of my surroundings, I noticed the sound of the leaves rustling softly in the wind, along with the feel of the sun’s warmth as I laid. 

“Huh...Where am I?” I sat up slowly, wincing as my head again throbbed. “I could have sworn somebody was speaking to me… but I can't remember…” As I looked around, the first thing I realized was that for some strange reason… “...Have the trees always been this big?” I walked over to one of the trees, and looked up at the high canopy. Where could I be that trees can grow so high? Ugh, but first, I really need something to drink. I thought as I suddenly felt my throat really dry. Luckily, I heard the sound of rushing water in the distance. 

Following the sound, I found myself looking at a magnificent waterfall. I bent down at the water’s edge and greedily gulped some of it down. I’m pretty sure it’s bad to drink water straight from a river, but… it just tastes so good! I thought as I drank the crisp, cold water. Letting out a happy sigh, I passingly glanced down, but immediately felt my blood run cold. Staring back at me in the reflection of the river’s water was the strange, hazy image of something blue, with pointed ears and hanging black feelers, a black muzzle, and a blue pointed tail. 

“A… A Riolu!?” I gasped, staring at the reflection in disbelief before slowly looking down at myself. Holding out my arms, I stared at my yellow hands, or I guess it would be paws? I leaned back as far as I could stretch, and saw the long blue appendage, watching as I felt myself wave my tail in front of my face, almost as if it was telling me ‘yup, this is all real; you have been turned into a Pokemon.’ Panic slowly began to set in as I found myself trying to understand what was happening. 

I-I can’t be a Riolu! I’ve always been a human!... Right? I tried hard to think of everything about being a human, not a Pokemon, but to my extreme worry, I couldn’t seem to remember anything about being one. As I felt my heart pumping blood a mile-a-minute, to my already extreme distress I heard a series of strange beeps behind me.

Startled, I swiftly turned around, finding myself facing three strange beings floating there. They’re bodies were a pale brown, with black, symmetrical lines on their tall heads. Their green, slit eyes glowed as they neared, and I happened to see they each had four yellow cream-colored orbs on their torsos. They looked at each other as multi-colored lights on their hands blinked in rapid session, beeping to each other. Wha- But then one of them rammed into me, knocking me back a bit.

“Oomph!” I grunted as I stumbled backwards. Why are they attacking me!? I thought as I quickly looked around as they closed in, my already beating heart trying to hammer out of my chest. Right as they were about to attack again, I compelled my fear-lidden legs to jump out of the way, and as they turned towards me, I felt instinct take over as I broke into a ran, fear propelling me forward.

As I fled, hearing the beeping of the strange Pokemon behind me, I vaguely noticed that I was running faster and longer than I ever did before, though I can’t remember how I knew that. Ignoring the simple revelation, I continued to race forward through the woods as my my mind whirled in confusion, squeezing my eyes shut. Why is this happening? I don’t have a clue as to what- but then my thought process was abruptly halted as I felt myself run into something, and none too softly, and fell on my backside.

“Ouch!” Or someone? Looking up, I found myself face to face with another strange Pokemon. As I got up, I realized that I was crying, the fear and stress really getting to me. Rubbing my eyes, I watched as he stared at me in surprise, and that’s when I noticed something else astonishing that almost subdued the anxiety that riddled my body. Almost. Did I just hear a Pokemon speak!? “Hey now, sorry about that! I’m Nuzleaf, and it’s okay now, so just calm down,” he worryingly told me as I panted from the run, my tears blurring my vision. As my heart slowed as I took deep breaths, my mind slowly began to recover enough to think things through, and I felt my tears stop falling by themselves. 

I’m a Riolu now, so I mean it would only be normal for me to speak to a Pokemon...Right? I tried to rationalize as my breathing slowed, fear only lingering now. But just as I calmed down, the strange beeping was heard again, causing me to start to panic again. The other weird Pokemon had caught up, beeping quickly to each other as Nuzleaf looked back and forth in a bit panicked confusion. 

“Hey, what is- gah!” he grunted as they suddenly attacked again, the two of us stumbling back as they kept on coming at us. He quickly glanced at me, than looked left at a path that lead deeper into the woods. “Hey, I don’t know why them Beheeyem’d be attacking us, but I reckon we get ourselves out of here,” he said fearfully as he jumped to the left, dodging an attack as I quickly followed suit in haste, too scared to really think about where to go or what to do. We soon found ourselves trapped in a glen with the only path shrouded in thick fauna, the path quickly disappearing out of sight. Nuzleaf looked on in horror when he saw the path.

“Wait, isn’t that one of ‘em mystery dungeons?” He looked at it with trepidation as I tried to catch my breath. A mystery dungeon? What is- But again my thoughts were cut short as I heard the strange beeping noises getting closer. Nuzleaf turned to me in a slight panic which didn’t help my already stressed and beating heart.

“Looks like we got no choice!” He said as he ran through the path, myself following close behind. What is happening?! I yelled in my head as we delved into the deep woods. 

Once we got a good ways in, Nuzleaf paused for time enough for me to catch my breath. By this point, I was on the verge of having a full on panic attack. Nothing like this has ever happened to me!... Well, at least that I can’t remember, anyways. After taking a few deep breaths, I luckily was able to still my fast-beating heart enough to glance at my unlikely companion. 

Nuzleaf was pretty good sized, taller than my barely-past two feet. His all brown body was masked with a dull cream that covered his long, pointed nose, and his upper, puffed out legs. Atop his head, a single leaf was fanned back, reminding me of a nut, maybe a walnut or acorn?, that was just plucked from a tree. His stature and speaking clearly showed him to be much older than me, even as he glanced back in a bit of a fright. 

After looking at him for a second, I realized I was staring, which is awfully rude of me, so I turned my attention to my surroundings. Unlike the part of the forest we were in before, here all the trees seemed to be more… wild, packed tightly together around different open spaces, like where they were now. Looking at the tight foliage, I felt the fear bubbling in me again, this time accompanied by confusion.

They look they would be hard to pass through; how are we supposed to leave like? And will those things come back? Why were they trying to attack me? And I have no idea where I am… I thought miserably, rocks piling themselves on top of each other as I felt my panic begin to rise again. As I felt a hopeless weight fall in the air, Nuzleaf turned to me, and I guess my fear and anxiety was written on my face as he decided to explain where we were, drawing my attention.

“Y’know, these mystery dungeons are very strange indeed; every time you enter one, the entire layout will be completely different and the items will be different in it as well, making it almost virtually impossible to map out the layouts of these here mystery dungeons,” he explained as I looked around. Though he did distract me from my current stretch of anxiety, the fact that there’s no map for the place did nothing to calm the unease sitting inside me, but I tried my best to hide my fear by pretending to distract myself by looking around in feigned interest.

“Also, all the Pokemon ‘round these places are always mighty on edge, attackin’ anybody who comes close for no reason! These mystery dungeons are also tough to get out once you’ve gone in one, and to move on you need to find the main path that will lead to the next part of the mystery dungeon once you’re in one part, or as we call ‘em, floors. Each floor is different than the last, but once you find the main path you’ll be able to safely move onto the next floor. For now, I’ll take the lead since you seem to be pretty new to all o’ this, but you stick to me like a bad stain, got it?” Trying to remember it all, I nodded as he headed deeper through the woods with me following close behind, but the panic began to increase again.

Attacking Pokemon? And we have to travel through the entire thing to get out… Thinking about this, I gripped the bark of the large tree next to me, trying to steady myself. I’m not suited for this type of thing, not at all; Being turned into a Pokemon, getting chased by those angry Beheeyem, losing all of my memories, no way to find home… The last part really got to me, the thought that I might not ever get home, and it scared me much, much more that I couldn’t even remember what home was.

As I felt a pain in my chest, the tears threatening to fall again, I quickly shook my head, willing myself to calm down. This isn’t the time for crying; I can’t disgrace Mr. Nuzleaf’s kindness by crying, I berated myself, silently wishing I was just a little bit braver… Turning my focus to the surrounding forest as I continued to follow Nuzleaf, my anguish was slowly replaced with cautious curiosity. 

Mystery dungeons sure are weird, so I hope I won’t have to get into too many of these. I thought, but then the adventurous and daredevil part of my mind whispered with mischief, though it seems it would be a lot of fun to explore, and who knows what might happen if you were to explore an entire one by yourself? Thinking about it, it would be fun to explore one… No, I have to figure out where I am and how I turned into a Riolu, I reprimanded my traitorous mind, but I sighed, knowing it would be a lot of fun to explore, since I never got to do this sort of thing back home... 

Wait, home? What is my home? I frowned as I tried to remember, but… shaking my head, I knew it was pointless. Why can’t I remember anything, not even about my own home? Panic began to course through my veins again as my heart began to pound. Wait, do I at least remember my name?! I closed my eyes in concentration, but as my fear turned to full on freaking-out, a single name came floating through. My name is April. I sighed in relief, making Nuzleaf glance back curiously as we continued on through the dungeon. Well, at least I remember THAT much. Everything else will have to wait till we get out of here, I reasoned as I continued to follow Nuzleaf. 

As he headed through, I looked around at the tall trees, the branches hanging far overhead as we walked down a narrow path to another open space. 

“Oh, and just to say, these open spaces in these here mystery dungeons are called ‘rooms’. Each room could be full of different stuff and maybe even the lead to the next floor, but make sure to be careful because not all stuff that’s in these rooms are necessarily good,” he said as he walked through the short path. Alright, so just watch where I step? I thought as I looked at the ground, but the forest floor seemed fine to me. As we walked into the room, he stopped when something red was in the middle. 

“Dagnabit! It’s a Pokemon!” He whispered harshly. “It may be asleep as it is right now, but if it wakes up, it’ll surely be lookin’ for trouble!” He then turned back to the Pokemon. “To defeat it, we’ll need to use our best moves for the job. I reckon I’ll take on this one, so you stay here and watch close,” he said to me as he walked forward. I stayed hidden in the shadow of one of the trees on the path just out of the room, watching as Nuzleaf approached the red object in the room’s center. 

As soon as he got too close, the red cone-thing immediately popped up, revealing that it was the top mushroom-part of a Paras. Nuzleaf immediately used Razor Lead, and despite the type disadvantage, the Para easily fell. I watched in awe at his strength, still standing back. He continued on, glancing back to make sure I was following, though I still kept my distance in case another Pokemon appeared. He walked continued on through each room, the foliage that made up it’s ‘walls’ to dense for them to pierce through, so they just followed the passages in between. After continuing on for several more minutes, they came to another room, where he stopped and waited for me to join him.

“Hey now, this ‘ere’s a passage to the next ‘floor’,” he said when I had come up next to him. He pointed to another passage, but unlike the previous ones, this passage was made of over-arching trees, like it was the entrance to a whole new place. “I’m pretty sure they’re all called ‘floors’ and ‘rooms’ ‘cause when mystery dungeons first ‘ppeared, they were inside big ancient ruins and buildings and the sort. You’d wanna be sure you’re ready ‘fore you move on,” he continued to explain. “‘Else you’d might find yourself in a heap o’ trouble on the other side.” Turning forward, the Grass type headed on, with me right behind. I hope we get out soon...

The next floor’s room looked similar to the first, but this time Nuzleaf turned to me, a thoughtful look in his eyes. 

“You’ve never’s been in a mystery dungeon, right?” He asked, and I nodded, rhetorical or not. I’ve never heard of them before, actually... But I decided to keep that to myself. “Why not you take the lead this time? I’d be watching our backs in case them Beheeyem come after us again,” he suggested. Instantly, I hesitated, and finally spoke up for the first time.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea…” I said apprehensively. ...Since I never fought before in my life because I never was a Pokemon before either… I’m pretty sure, anyways, I silently said, because there was no way I was about to tell the only one who knew how to get through here and be left alone for saying something crazy. I shifted nervously, since I honestly did think having me lead was a really bad idea. Being a leader is… something not meant for me, really. 

“You’ll be fine,” Nuzleaf said, waving off my uncertainty. When I opened my mouth to protest, he was already pushing me forward towards the passage to the next room. “Just do what comes naturally and you’ll be a’right. If you do find yourself in a pinch, I’ll be right behind to back you up,” he said reassuringly as I stood at the entrance to the forested passage, still feeling completely unsure. Glancing back, the older Pokemon winked at me, and I turned forward, my heart beating in my chest.

This is a bad idea; this is a REALLY bad idea, I chanted in my head as I took a few steps cautiously forward, my feet unwillingly moving forward. In the next room, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that there was no one there, and walked forward cautiously when I saw something on the ground. Hm? I felt my natural curiosity settle as I walked over to the object lying in the grass. The object looked like it was some kind of fruit…

“Oh-ho, you’d found an Oran Berry there.” I jumped in surprise, glancing to the side to see Nuzleaf had walked up next to me when I wasn’t paying attention, but he continued on, not seeming to notice my nervousness. “Oran Berries are good ta’ eat when you’re not feeling none too good, so we should take it with us in case we’d need it.” He glanced at me, and realizing what he wanted, I nodded quietly and gently picked up the blue, circular fruit. 

It’s like a blue orange, I noticed when I saw it’s perfectly round surface, covered in tiny bumps and dips on the fruit’s skin. As I followed him, I noticed something. An orange? Of course, an orange is like the Oran Berry except the color orange…. But how do I know that? I frowned, thinking, but all it did was make my head ache as I slowly turned to the passage that lead to the next room. I can remember what these things are and all, but I can’t seem to remember where I learned it from… Why? As I closed my eyes, trying to think with all my might, I remembered… Nothing, and only got a headache for trying. Sighing, I shook my head as I walked into the next room, and instantly felt my stomach drop.

Facing away a few meters in front of me, was a Seedot. When it saw me, it instantly turned to me with a very hostile and challenging look that froze me in place. My blood now running cold, I felt the most terrified that I could remember, which isn’t a lot, but enough for me to be truly horrified. As the fear took over, I felt my body start to tremble a bit, and I took a step back unawaringly. My fear must have been very obvious, for the Seedot took an impatient step forward, stomping in challenge. When I went to take another step back, wanting nothing more than to run away and hide, I felt something behind me, causing me to freeze for a second, but when it didn’t move, I looked up, my eyes dewy with fresh tears threatening to fall.

“Hey now, didn’t I tell yah I’d have your back?” Nuzleaf joked, smiling with such reassurance that I instantly felt a bit better. Nodding, I closed my eyes, and took a deep, shaky breath. That’s right, I’m not alone; I can definitely do this, I told myself. When I opened my eyes, they were completely dry as I felt a small flame of determination flicker inside me, warming me enough to step back forward. The Seedot stamped it’s foot again, and when I felt myself ease into a readying stance, the Seedot instantly stood taut, it’s body shining a bit harder and more firm. 

It used Harden, huh? Now, what should I do… I closed my eyes, and decided that if I can’t think it, then I’ll feel it. Letting instinct take over, I drew back one of my fists, which I vaguely felt power with energy, and then made a move as if I was punching the Seedot despite it being a few meters away. The force of the thrust punched the air inwards and out, creating a wave of energy that knocked the Seedot back hard, but not quite out, but I was too elated to care.

I...I did it, I used a move! And Vacuum Wave, too! I thought, a surge of renewed hope and energy surging through me. Turning forward again, I faced the Seedot head on this time, feeling sure and strong, a foreign and not unwelcomed feeling. I can do this, I’m sure of it! I readied myself, prepared to take on anything the small Grass type can dish out. But, to my surprise, the Seedot glared at me, then began to glow a dull light, which made me confused for a second.

Huh? What is… Oh, wait; Bide! I realized that it was using the strong Normal type move. As I stood there, my mind raced for what I can do to counter such a move. Every time I injure the Seedot, the damage of Bide increases…. Alright, so I have to finish this in one move, I nodded to myself. 

Again, letting my instincts take over, I again held back my paw, this time feeling a different type of energy surge through it. Closing my eyes, I concentrated hard on the Seedot, and I was vaguely aware of how much I could ‘see’ with my eyes closed, but dismissed it as I focused on the task at hand. Locking onto the Grass type, I felt the energy build until.... Snapping my eyes open, I charged forward.

“Yah!” I called, and let out a powerful strike which caused waves of energy to pulse through the air. The Force Palm instantly knocked out the surprised Pokemon, leaving me to stare in shock at what I just did. I did it, I really did it! I thought, extremely happy with what I achieved, and glanced back to see Nuzleaf smile and give me a thumbs up, making the small accomplishment that much bigger. With my self-esteem and ego boosted, I continued onto the next room, but there were no Pokemon here, which surprised me considering how big it was. Looking around, I saw that there were a bunch of different passages, and I hesitated. 

“Why not go through that passage?” Only tensing up a bit this time, I noticed that again Nuzleaf had walked over without me noticing. I looked over, unsure, at the passage he was pointing at. It was a bit farther up and to the left. Not very sure of which way to go myself, I decided to trust the older Pokemon’s instinct and walked over to the passage, not nearly as wary as before, but still very cautious. 

After making it to the passage, I continued on through the thick foliage, Nuzleaf following close behind while checking behind us every once in awhile. We’ve gone a ways before finally I thought we were near the end to the next room when to my seemingly terrible luck…

“A-a dead end,” I said, trying really hard not to stammer. Ugh, why am I always like this?... Wait, have I always been like this? I tried to think back, to remember anything at all, but again to no avail. Nuzleaf scratched his head, looking a bit perplexed.

“Well, that ain’t gonna work, sorry about that, lass. Well, might as well head back and try another path,” he shrugged as he moved aside, again letting me lead. I nodded in agreement as I took the lead again, but as we neared the exit to the other room, I had to admit I was more than a little scared when I came face to face with the three Beheeyem; well, not quite face to face, as they all had their backs turned to me, searching the room. I completely froze, standing in the entrance to the passage. 

Right when I was sure they were going to spot me, I felt a very startling and nerve-racking yank backwards. Before the yelp that was bursting out of me could escape my mouth, a hand immediately caught hold of my muzzle, shutting my mouth closed. Looking up with what I knew had to be tears stinging my eyes, I saw Nuzleaf wink back at me, putting a finger to his lips to be quiet. Letting me go, I found we were both behind one of the thick trunks of the trees, out of view from the Beheeyem. We both kept still, the other room deathly silent, but right when I was going to look out to see if they were gone, I heard a series of beeping sounds terribly close to the entrance. 

Remaining silent, we both stayed still as the beeping continued, so close…. But to my grateful relief, the Psychic types moved on, the beeps fading away till I couldn’t hear them anymore. Once I was sure they were gone, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Closing my eyes, I relaxed as I felt Nuzleaf shift, peering out of the passage’s entrance. Why has this happened to me? I don’t think I did anything wrong… Did I? Again, I tried to remember anything that happened before I woke up in the forest as a Riolu, but I just couldn’t figure it out, except for a nagging feeling I talked to someone…

“A’ight, I think the coast is clear. We better find those stairs real quick and scramble out of here,” he said, seeming to be oblivious to my inner distress. Sighing, I got up, shaking my head to refocus. No point in trying to figure any of this out now; Nuzleaf’s right, I have to get out of this place before I can figure out what to do next. Following him out and into the big room, still no Pokemon in sight, I again took the lead, albeit much more reluctantly this time, and turned to the passage almost straight across the one we left.

After going through the maze of different rooms, battling a few other Pokemon along the way, we reached the room with the ‘stairs’, though personally I would just call it a corridor of trees, to the next floor. Thankfully, we didn’t find any sign of the Beheeyem anywhere, allowing us safe passage to continue. After traveling through the thick foliage, the brush blocking our view, suddenly we emerged on the other side to a completely normal woods and a completely normal dirt path. 

“It seems we’ve finally made it out of the ‘dungeon,” Nuzleaf said as he glanced back. I also glanced back, and noticed the path we passed through and the part of the woods that had the mystery dungeon in had a strange haze over and through it, as if looking through waves of heat. “And I think we finally lost them Beheeyem. Which reminds me…” He turned to me, his face suddenly producing anger and rage.

“What’d ya do to make them mad, anyhoo?! You’re not running ‘round causing trouble, are yah?” He scolded me, and I could definitely feel myself shaking underneath his furious glare. Immediately, I shook my head a nervous though definite ‘no’. The last thing I need is for the one person who’s helping me to find me as a suspicious troublemaker! My head reeling, I began to stammer a garbled mess, trying to explain myself but not doing a very good job.

“I-I would nev-I mean, I d-don’t th-think I did anyth-thing…” I stammered, not meeting his eyes as I fidgeted, noticing how much the Grass type was bigger than me. Wringing my paws, I shifted my feet, inwardly cursing my nervous shyness. Agh, why am I like this? But no matter how much I wanted to confidently say it wasn’t my fault, not that I knew of anyways, I still couldn’t bring myself to do it. As I stared at the ground, I could feel his eyes boring into my head. Finally, when I thought the silence and heavy air was going to be too much, he took a deep breath and sighed, which made me flinch instinctively, because I definitely wasn’t expecting that.

“Alright, I believe you.” Well. I wasn’t really expecting that either. Looking up, I met his eyes which didn’t have a trace of the anger that was there a moment before. I guess I must’ve looked confused, because he rubbed his head, looking at the dirt road ahead with a slightly guilty look.

“I know it was wrong to yell at you like that all of ‘sudden, so I apologize. But, now that it’s all over, you should go home to your family,” he turned back to me. Me, being a bit bewildered of this strange situation, just simply nodded before his words sunk in. Go home? But… But he had already turned away, walking down the dirt path. 

Not knowing what else to do, I quietly followed till we reached a fork in the road, a wooden post with arrows pointing in different directions. When I walked up to see what was written on the arrows, I saw that they were in a strange language I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. Each arrow had what looked like footprints, each in a different direction, shape, and size. Before I had a chance to ask him about the weird signs, I realized Nuzleaf was at the entrance of one of the paths.

“Now, I have to continue on from here. Oh, but before I go, I noticed I never asked yah for your name,” he said, his face expectant. Again, I froze up, but managed to speak without stammering too much, again fidgeting in place.

“M-my name is April…” I murmured, but luckily it seemed to be loud enough for him to understand me as he nodded. 

“April, huh? Interesting name for a Riolu,” he winked. I nervously smiled back, but inside my heart sank lower. That’s right… A Riolu… And not a human. But I wouldn’t allow myself to show my worries as I continued to fakely smile, hoping that my true feelings would leak through. I must’ve been convincing enough, because again he nodded. 

“Well, April, ‘hope we meet again. And safe journey on your way home, ‘right? See yah!” He waved and turned around, walking down the path, with me just staring after him. After watching him walk on, slowing disappearing into the woods, I stood there, looking down each path as uncertainty and anxiety began to set in. 

Now what? What do I do? I glanced back at where Nuzleaf had turned a corner and disappeared. Should I have told him about me being human? Would he than have helped me? I continued to stand there, staring hard at the dry, light brown dirt I stood on. My thoughts jumbled, I subtly stepped back a step, looking at the paw-prints in the dirt, and shook my head. No, this is my problem. And I know I’m not strong enough or brave enough to have told him. But… Am I brave enough to figure out how to get home on my own? I looked back up at the strange sign, and shook my head when I tried to make sense of the strange language. Though it did have a strange, familiar feeling, like I’ve seen it before… No, I couldn’t have; I’m a human, and I’ve never seen a language like that. Ugh…. Why did things turn out this way? 

Not knowing what else to do, I continued to stand in place at the crossroads, looking down each path, and glancing back. Maybe if I went down one of the paths, I might be able to meet someone and ask for directions? Or maybe someone might know about this? Maybe humans coming to the Pokemon world is normal…. Right? I hated the hopeful pulse inside me, knowing it was a futile feeling, and as it left, it also brought a painful ache. No, I seriously doubt it. But… Do I even HAVE a home? If I do, wouldn’t my family be worried about me? I know I’m human… Or was… But why can’t I remember anything about being one? As the questions stacked and stacked and stacked in a tumultuous wave, I felt my head begin to ache, and I my stomach felt heavy, making me feel ill. 

All these questions and more… Ugh… Closing my eyes, I tried to focus my mind and thought track. Just thinking about it and standing here won’t solve any problems, you know that. If only I could find and talk to somebody… But would I be brave enough to do it? She thought about being one of those fearless heroes in stories, though how I knew these stories I didn’t know nor did I try to figure it out like so many other things, but when I thought about myself, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it. Sighing, I kicked a small pebble on the dirt road. I’m not brave, and I’m not good at talking to other people… How am I ever going to get home, let alone remember something?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I deviated a bit from the end there, to those who played the game. R&R, and have a great day!


	3. Ch. 2: Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April finds herself being hunted down and driven to the edge, but before the fall comes...
> 
>  
> 
> (I still suck at summaries...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, everyone! Blame it on school and writer's block. Anyways, here's the second chapter to my novelization of PSMD, WLH!

Turning back to the strange sign, I looked at the arrows with the strange, animal-like footprints scratched into the wood. They look the footprints of Pokemon… Is that the written language in this place? I stood on my tiptoes, trying to see as best as I could, but… Ugh, I don’t even know what it says. How am I supposed to know where they point to? Maybe a town or something… At the thought of being in some place maybe even remotely familiar immediately lifted my spirits a bit. 

Yeah, they probably point to towns and cities! I paused mid-thought, nervously studying the sign. Are there towns? Are there even humans here? There must be…Right? I nodded, trying to reassure myself. If I can find some humans, maybe they could help me figure out how to turn back human... Now, let’s see… I looked down each path, first the one that continues on straight ahead Nuzleaf had took a bit earlier, and then the one that was identical except it headed to the right. Looking left, then right, and back again, I just got more and more confused. 

I don’t know where I am, and I don’t know where these paths lead… Should I go straight and follow after Nuzleaf? No, I don’t know where he’s headed, and I don’t want to seem like a stalker or anything…. But should I go left? I have no idea where that path leads either… Ugh… Well, I can’t just stand here all day, plus those strange Pokemon, the Beheeyem… At the thought of the mysterious, scary attackers from earlier, I involuntarily shivered and immediately felt self-loath. I’m such a wimp… I should’ve stood up for myself, not get attacked for no good reason… Sigh… Well, thinking about it won’t help. I guess I’ll just go… Uh… Right. Yeah, right. Not really having any particular destination in mind except maybe meeting someone who doesn’t attack on first sight, I headed down the dirt path, following the strange sign. Little did I know, something was watching me from the shadows…

0o0o0

I must’ve been walking for a few hours now. I looked up at the now afternoon sun, watching it as it made it’s slow travel across the sky. Though I continued to follow the path, I haven’t run into any other Pokemon in a while, which made me feel relieved and just a bit lonesome. Since there seemed to be nothing but forest here, I had a lot of time to think, mostly just about what my life as a human was like and why I couldn’t remember it. I sighed, knowing that no matter how much I was trying, it just did me no good. 

What am I going to do? I was alone in a different world and with no memories except I am - or was - human. I stopped walking, sighing as I stared down at my feet… no, they’re paws now. Shaking my head, I looked ahead down the dirt path, glancing back at the way I came from, both ends getting swallowed by the forest. Looking up, I watched as I saw a couple of bird Pokemon fly by, and in the wind I could barely hear the chirpy, whispery conversation they were having as they flew. I can understand them…Why, oh why am I in this mess? Spacing out and feeling all around disheartened, I didn’t notice a soft, pulsing sound behind me till I turned around, and I could literally feel my heart drop to my stomach. 

There behind me were the three Beheeyem, and they definitely didn’t look happy to me, though I wasn’t really paying attention to how they acted. Really, in that moment, I felt my heart thumping hard, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if the entire forest could hear it, though admittedly I was too busy being terrified to really think about any of it. Maybe I really did do something bad! I don’t have any memories after all…. Not knowing what else to do, I felt my mouth open involuntarily as they loomed closer.

“U-um, w-whatever I-I did to m-make you an-angry, I-I’m r-really…. S-sorry…” my voice faded as I slowly took a few steps back, but they kept approaching, and even if I couldn’t see their faces clearly, their eyes were full of hate and intent. Oh no! What should I do? I knew deep in my gut, if they captured me, I might not come out of it alive. Breathing heavily, I hastily looked around for anything that could help, but then I saw the open path to my left. Not knowing what else to do, I sprinted down the path without any real destination.

Why is this happening to me? I cried in my head for what must’ve been the billionth time that day. I raced down the path which zigzaged through the forest. Without looking back, I heard the distinctive beeping of the Beheeyem, which seemed to grow louder as my stamina began to fail me, causing me to panic. 

Running is useless like this! I paused, looking around, then ducked behind one of the bigger trees. Crouching down, I heard the beeping get louder, stopping right on the other side of the tree I hid behind. I pulled my short, black legs towards my chest, my paws over my head as I squeezed my eyes tightly, tears pooling inside of them. I wish I was anywhere but here! I wish I was home! I wish… I wish I was braver! I cried out in my head. 

With my eyes shut tight, I noticed a strange roar in the far distance which sounded familiar… A waterfall? I absently thought as the beeping of the Beheeyem began to fade, indicating they were moving on. With my eyes still closed, I focused in on the sound of the rushing water, spraying out over the cliff… Wait, can I see it? I frowned, but a mental image of a waterfall was clear as day in mind’s eye. Before I could wonder what it meant, I felt a spine-chilling presence wash over me…

Blinking my eyes open, I looked up and immediately felt my heart leave me. One of the Beheeyem was floating over me, and it definitely did not look friendly in any shape or form. I… I… I completely blanked in that moment, not knowing exactly how to act. The Beheeyem stared me down as I stared back with what must’ve definitely been complete and utter fear. It then began to beep, the orbs on it’s hands flashing their light in sequence, and I snapped back to reality.

Oh no! It must be calling it’s allies; I got to do something, anything! Come on, April, you have to be brave! I shouted at my stupid head to work despite it just wanting to sink a little lower into it’s hole. Then, an idea popped into my head as the sound of the waterfall continued to linger in the air. Without any plan or intention, I leaped forward and rammed into the Beheeyem very quickly with a Quick Attack. The Beheeyem stumbled, shocked at my sudden act, but by the time it shook off the attack I was already racing towards the sound of water.

I...I can’t believe I just did that! I thought, stunned by my own foolish act to attack just then. Really, I just acted on instinct when it happened, but it did give me a chance to get away. I can lose them by the waterfall… Maybe? I thought with a bit of unsure hope. Racing towards the water, I heard the sound of the beeping fade as the waterfall’s roar grew louder. 

There, I can see it! I joyfully thought as I sped up a bit, because I could definitely see the definite sparkling of sunlight on water. My lungs in pain, I forced my short legs to move faster as I raced through the forest. Huffing, I heard the rushing water grow closer, and right when I thought I wasn’t ever going to make it out of the woods, I suddenly burst into the open. I quickly stopped, skidding to a stop as my heart pounded in my chest at the sight.

I was standing on a cliff’s edge, and spanning to my left was a large river. The river stormed forward, the water stampeding to the edge. Then, in a large spray of mist, the water fell far below where it pooled in a basin before again rushing forward till it became blocked by the many trees that continued to span across the land. I stood right next to the edge of the waterfall, and from where I stood I could see the many mountains in the area spanning the horizon, one in particular standing out far, far away. The sun glinted on the waterfall’s spray, causing a rainbow to glow in the mist. All of it would’ve been very wonderful and fantastic to look at, except for the fact that I was deathly afraid of heights and that I could hear the Beheeyem come closer. 

Panicking, I looked around, and saw that far upstream, there was a series of small islands with what looked like bridges spanning across the river. Feeling hope flutter through me, I turned towards down the bank. But before I could take a step forward, something struck a chord with me, causing me to jump backwards unsteadily. And good thing too, as where I was just a moment before was hit with a beam of energy.

“A-A Psybeam!?” I stared in horror as, out of the foliage, the three Beheeyem surrounded me, and they definitely did not look happy to see me. The one that shot the Psychic move floated towards me, it’s eyes full of menace as it’s companions floated to either side. Definitely feeling a lot more than a little intimidated, I began to step back, too scared to think clearly. I watched as they all floated with each step back I took… One step.. Another… Another… And then…

I stepped out into air. My heart stopping, I teetered on the ledge, my breath hitching as I felt myself losing to gravity. But, with a push, I was able to right myself and unsteadily bring myself back up. Looking back up, I saw that the Beheeyem had me completely cornered, the three blocking my only exit other than to fall off the ledge to pool far, far below. As they neared, I felt my heart shudder in fear, and self-loath.

I…. I’m not strong enough, brave enough to fight back… As they got nearer, I shut my eyes, waiting for that final attack. I guess this is it…. I braced myself. I never even got to know why I’m here… But right when I was sure they were going to attack, instead I heard them start to beep amongst each other quickly, when I felt a whoosh and a startled series of beeps. And then… silence. 

...Huh? Unsure, I stood there, but after a few moments, risked cracking an eye open. Aren’t they going to... But that thought got swept away immediately when I saw the sight before me. The Beheeyem were gone, but what really surprised me was the sight of a familiar face walking towards me, looking really concerned.

“You alright there, April?” Nuzleaf crouched down to my height, his face a bit concerned. He glanced back at the woods, scowling with a hint of worry.

“Those darn Beheeyem; luckily I scared them off with a lot of Razor Leaf’s, but they’ll definitely be back soon if we stay here.” He turned back to me. I wasn’t really paying attention, more of just staring dumbfoundedly at him, and I guess for far too long since he gave me a confused look. Gah, I was staring! I berated myself as I looked down, completely flustered.

“H-Why… Are you…?” I stuttered, only glancing up at him while keeping my eyes mostly glued to the ground. Fidgeting, I froze when I heard him sigh.

“Well, I felt mighty bad ‘bout leaving a kid like you there all alone like that, since you looked lost and all. When I returned and found you gone, I knew somethin’ was amiss when I heard some rather loud beeps of them Beheeyem coming from in the forest, so I followed them. Luckily, I arrived right when they were ‘bout to throw you off the ledge, but man, I was sure mighty glad they ran when I fired off all of those Razor Leafs.” He chuckled with relief, rubbing the back of his head. I simply nodded shyly, feeling a huge mix of surprise, relief, and what I could only describe as hope. Before I could muster up the courage to ask him, he turned back to the forest, concern etching his voice.

“Well, this is hardly the place for a conversation, ‘specially since them Beheeyem could return any moment. For now, follow me so we can put some distance between ourselves and this place, alright?” Not waiting for an answer, he swiftly began to run down the river bank, and it was all I could do just to keep up. I followed him down the bank for a while till he suddenly turned into the forest. By that time, I was completely exhausted, and seeing me slow down, he also slowed his pace.

“Just a bit farther,” he said as he slowed down enough to run next to me. He glanced around with a very worried look, as if the Beheeyem would appear any moment. I simply focused on going forward, afraid my lungs would simply give out on me any second. I don’t think I can run much farther… Luckily for me, I didn’t have to as Nuzleaf led me to a small outcropping of trees. Here he stopped, allowing me to rest. By rest, I mean collapse onto the ground, breathing heavily from the day’s events. Ugh, I just want to lay here forever…. I sighed as I closed my eyes.

“Well, I think we should be safe for the time bein’.” He said in relief, also sitting down on a tree root. He then looked out through the tightly knit tree trunks.

“So, what were you going to do now?” He glanced down to where I lay. Opening my eyes again, I stared up at the green canopy, the sun filtering through creating intricate patterns as the breeze caused the leaves to wave. What am I going to do? I stayed quiet for a few seconds before opening my mouth.

“Well… I… don’t know, not really. Um…” I glanced nervously up at the older Pokemon, who just raised an eyebrow in question. “D-Do you think… Well... “ I paused, trying to gather my thoughts. I should just tell him! But… Would he believe me? That I was once human and lost all my memories? I shifted uncomfortably as I laid there, but then slowly sat up, my knees pulled up to my chest, my tail naturally wrapping around me. He’s helped me this far, I should at least be brave enough to tell him the truth… I glanced up at him, then back down, staring at my black paws as if they held all the answers to my questions.

“I… I have something to say.” I took a deep breath, refusing to look at him though I could feel his stare burrow into my head. “I… I’m n-not really a Riolu, I’m a h-human… And I l-lost all of my m-memories…” I stuttered, feeling my heart beginning to race again. There’s no way he’s going to believe me! I really shouldn’t have said that... I sat there, stewing in my shame as I waited for some sort of terrible reaction. Squeezing my eyes shut, tears pooling in them. He’s not going to believe me, and I’ll just be left alone again…. Finally, what seemed like an eternity, he spoke up.

“...Alright, I believe yah.” I definitely wasn’t expecting that. Blinking, I looked up at him, my eyes full of surprised and confused questioning. He sighed, looking out through the trees to the forest once more. 

“Well, I know there be a lot of things in this world I just don’t understand, so it’s not that strange if something like what happened to you is real, no matter how crazy or extraordinary. Beside, you don’t seem like a bad kid.” Once he was done talk, I felt a surge of newly found respect for the older Pokemon. That’s very open-minded… I wonder if I can be as calm and collected as him someday…

“Th-thank you…” I answered shyly, feeling my face turn red from embarrassment at the praise. He’s like a kind father…. 

“You said you lost your memories, right?” He asked as he stood back up. I quickly nodded in reply. He frowned, a perplexed look crossing his face. 

“If we’re gonna get you home, that is a mighty bad thing, ‘specially if you don’t know how you’d up and turn into a Pokemon… Hm….” A thoughtful look crossed his face as he looked away, thinking. I quietly waited till he finally seemed to have decided something.

“Alright, if that’s the case, then for the time bein’ you can come stay with me, at least till you get your memories back,” he told back to me with a kind smile. I immediately brightened at the thought. I can stay with him and not be alone out here? I thought happily, but contrastingly I shyly asked him, shuffling my paws.

“A-are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to be rude…” I muttered, as it was true I didn’t want to impose on someone who’s been nothing but helpful to a strange Pokemon with no memories and who claimed to be a human…. Wow, I must sound really crazy… I’m so glad I found someone as understanding as him… He just chuckled heartily at my reply, brightening up greatly.

“It’s nothin’ at all, April. Now, come on, I reckon them Beheeyem must be long gone by now, and it’s a bit of a ways to the village I’m staying at from here.” He walked over to the edge of the branches and peered out, myself quickly following suit. 

He checked around, but nodded to me, indicating it was safe. Stepping out of the branches, I peered around nervously despite him saying it was fine, I couldn’t help be nervous. I REALLY hope this time they’re gone for good… I thought, fear clinging to me. Nuzleaf noticed my nervous walking, pausing as he flashed a smile to me.

“There’s nothin’ to be scared of; ‘sides, I’m a pretty good fighter if I do say so myself,” he said confidently, pulling a small smile out of me despite the fact that he was kind of scared himself earlier. He’s a lot braver than I could ever be... 

We continued walking through the sunlit woods, but I still couldn’t help be worried that the Beheeyem might appear at any moment. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the thought. No, I’m just paranoid, and being scared doesn’t do anyone any good… I sighed quietly, staring down at my blue paws. 

I hope I can remember everything soon… I hope I can get home soon…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> April really needs to get a bit braver, huh? Hoped you all enjoyed the chapter, next one she finally reaches the Village and meets some interesting characters! R&R, thanks!


	4. Ch. 3: Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April and Nuzleaf arrive at Serene Village! When Nuzleaf leaves to go get her checked in for the school, who does she meet...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while since I last updated the story, so I decided to post this chapter right after I posted the last one yesterday! Now, hope you all are ready to meet April's partner!

“Ah, we’re almost there,” Nuzleaf said cheerfully. I nodded as I followed him up a hill. We’ve been traveling for a few days, and though I admit I’ve been having a hard time sleeping for fear that the Beheeyem might return, I actually found the trip a lot of fun. He told me a lot about this world, from the many towns to the many Pokemon. Of course, he also checked if I could remember anything about being human, but still, the only thing I could remember was my name and the fact I was once human.

“The village you live at, right?” I asked nervously; I wasn’t the most excited Riolu to meet a lot of new Pokemon. He chuckled at my nervousness, something which he seems to do a lot.

“Don’t worry, they’re all real nice folks. Ah, you can see it now,” he said as he stood at the crest of the hill. I followed up to stand beside him and gaped at the amazing view.

The hill offered a magnificent view of the surrounding forest, with a mountain range sticking up far in the distance. But the thing that really caught my eye was a beautiful blue lake a bit aways, and next to the lake was what looked like a town…

“See that there lake? Next to it is the village I live in, Serene Village.” I nodded, taking in the breathtaking view. I’ve never seen anything like this before... Or, at least, not that I can remember.

“Come on, I reckon we’re nearly there.” I nodded, feeling a bit excited as I followed him down the hill on the path. Though I was scared before, now that I’m here it’s super exciting! I thought happily. Maybe everything will turn out alright after all…

0o0o0

When we reached the edge of town, I immediately felt my fear rising again, pausing as Nuzleaf walked into the village casually. The part of town we were entering had a bunch of funnily shaped buildings and I saw a lot of Pokemon walking in and out, talking animatedly to each other. Those must be the Pokemon’s homes… Nuzleaf noticed me hesitating by the village’s entrance and came back.

“You really are timid, aren’t yuh?” He said in an almost exasperated voice, crossing his arms as he seemed to observe me. I cringed a bit, staring down at my paws as I shuffled them nervously. 

“S-sorry…” I muttered, silently cursing my fearfulness. Why can’t I just act normally like everyone else? Why do I have to be so… scared? I must have shown my thoughts on my face, because after a moment I heard Nuzleaf sigh. Surprised, I looked up to see him rubbing his head with an expression I couldn’t read as he glanced away, seeming to consider something.

“Yuh know… If you want ta wait till night time to go into the village, we can wait till everyone else is in their houses to head to mine?” He glanced at me almost uncomfortably, probably not used to dealing with children… like me. I glanced at all of the Pokemon in the village, and though I was scared out of my wits, I couldn’t bring myself to have Mr. Nuzleaf wait with me just because I was too scared to meet others. I can do this… Right?

“N-no, I’m fine, I was just, uh, surprised to see how different the village looks from what I thought,” I said in an attempt of a brave voice, but I’m not sure I succeeded too well as he gave me a look that made it seem like he didn’t believe me for a moment, but I was grateful when he dropped it. 

 

“Alright then, I’ll lead you to my house,” he said, continuing on. I hesitated for a moment, but gathering what very little courage I had, I followed after him. As we walked, many of the Pokemon greeted him, all of them giving me a curious look, but I mostly just hid behind the Grass type as he greeted back and continued on his way, making me feel a bit guilty for him having to put up with my useless cowardly self. Finally after going past many of the interesting houses of the village, we reached one that reminded me of how Nuzleaf looks like…

“Here we are; make yourself at home,” he said as he opened the door and lead me inside. Inside the one story house, the main room was round with another door leading to a different room to the right. The entire house was made of wood as if it was carved straight from a tree, a few stumps here and there scattered across the floor. A tub of water with a basket of what looked like apples was next to the door, and after walking all this way I was feeling a bit hungry...

“...-and you can stay in this room,” he finished, awaiting my reaction as he opened the other door. He was talking to me and I got distracted from apples! Ugh, stupid, I scowled myself as I followed him to the next room. This one seemed to be a storeroom with a couple of boxes and other supplies lined against the wall, but it was otherwise clean and organized. 

“It’s not much, but it should do for now till we can get things figured out,” he explained. I smiled brightly at him, feeling very happy for all the kindness he’s shown me.

“It’s perfect! Thank you so much, Mr. Nuzleaf,” I said sincerely. I guess he wasn’t expecting the praise, as he rubbed the back of his head again and looked away, looking a bit embarrassed. 

“It’s nothin’, really.” He seemed to shake off his embarrassment as a thought crossed his mind. “Hm… I think for the time bein’... It would be best if you didn’t go ‘round and told the folks here that you’re human and all.” This caught me by surprise, but I knew why. It sounds crazy, it would be like if I was back to being a human and told the other humans that I was a Pokemon or something… Not like I would be able to tell them, anyways; I don’t think I even have the courage to talk to the other villagers. Keeping my thoughts to myself, I simply nodded in understanding.

“But before even that… Do you know what you’re gonna do? About findin’ your memories and turnin’ back human and all that.” He looked perplexed as he turned to me, and I simply frowned; it’s not that I haven’t thought about it, I’ve actually been thinking about that for the past couple of days, but for someone who has no memories and no idea what’s going on… I sighed, shaking my head sadly. He hummed thoughtfully, but continued on optimistically.

“Well, we’ll just have to wait till your memories come back, I suppose; no need in trying to rush somethin’ we have no control over. But for now,” he paused, looking me over thoughtfully. “You’re ‘bout school age I reckon, so I’ll have you enrolled into the local school.” I felt my mouth open, shocked. School? I definitely don’t want to do that! I don’t remember anything from being a human, but just the thought of school is terrible enough… But before I could argue, he crossed his arms sternly, almost as if he could hear my thoughts.

“I know you don’t wanna go ta school, but the village folks will find it strange for a Riolu at your age to not go. Don’t worry, the principal is really nice; I’ll take you there in the morning, but every day after, you’ll have to go by yourself, alright?” B-by myself? I was thinking of an excuse to maybe not do this, but when I thought of all he’s done so far, I took a deep, steadying breath. It’s just going to school, nothing scary about it, right? 

“Alright, I understand, Mr. Nuzleaf,” I said after a moment. He nodded, glancing out the window.

“I reckon I should go take care of your schoolin’ business right now ‘fore it gets too dark. Until then, you wait here inside, alright? Don’t go outside by mistake or nothin’, got it?” He warned, and I hastily nodded in agreement, fidgeting as he went to go outside, but then paused.

“Oh, and if you reckonin’ you’re hungry, you can munch on some of them apples there,” he added before leaving for good this time. I’ll be alone for a while, I guess. With nothing else to do, I walked over to the tub of water and the apples. Picking one up, I paused to look into the water and see my reflection.

The face of a Riolu… Not a human… Sighing, I turned and walk backed to the storage room that served as my own and sat down in the middle of the floor. Bringing my knees up to my chest, I stared dejectedly at the shiny red apple in my hand before placing it onto the floor. Looking down at my blue body, my thoughts began to drift. 

I’m really a Pokemon… After all the tumult and craziness of the last few days, I finally felt the realization sinking in, and not in a good way. But, why? And why don’t I have any memories? Why did the Beheeyem attack me? I felt the questions swirl around me, but the more I pondered them the more I felt lost and alone. I squeezed my arms around my knees, burying my muzzle into my legs as I closed my eyes. I… I really want to go home soon....

Crunch!

I jolted up out of my thoughts at the sudden noise. It came from outside! I felt my heart beating wildly as I listened to loud footsteps walking around towards the front of the house. Who?... No, it can’t be the Beheeyem followed me here! Fear grasping my body, I cowered for a moment before shaking my head roughly, frustration winning over.

No, I refuse to be scared any longer! I yelled defiantly in my head, sounding much braver than I felt. Standing up and ignoring the fact my legs had basically turned into jelly, I slowly walked into the main room, standing by the door. You can do this, April. Ready and… now! With my brave cry of defiance, or at least the small squeak sounded like in my ears, I abruptly opened the door with my eyes shut.

And I waited.

And waited. 

... ? Slowly squinting my eyes open, when I realized I wasn’t be attacked or anything, I blinked them open in surprise. Looking around, there wasn’t anyone there. 

Huh? I thought I heard somebody… Maybe I’m such a coward I’m beginning to hear things… I chuckled sadly at the thought, turning to go back into the house when suddenly from my right a loud call startled me.

“I knew it! I knew someone went in with Mr. Nuzleaf!” I jumped back fearfully a bit at the loud voice that was basically yelling into my sensitive ears. Standing there, an overly excited young Pokemon that looked about my age was practically jumping in his excitement. His small blue body was a lighter shade than my own, reminding me of the lake, and he had large oval eyes that brimmed with joy. He had what looked like white, fluffy bubbles around his neck. 

A Froakie? Why… But he immediately cut into my thoughts again, speaking almost rapid-fire.

“I was shocked when I saw Mr. Nuzleaf leading a kid into the village! You’re not really Mr. Nuzleaf’s kid, are you? Like that could ever happen!” He laughed jollily, and before I could even react to his statement he was again talking.

“I live right next door, right there!” The shorter Water type bounded forward a bit to point at a blue-domed house that was next to Nuzleaf’s. When he got too close to me, however, I backed away a bit, not used to such close contact with others. 

“I live there with my pop! He can be real cranky sometimes, but he’s nice enough… Hey, you alright?” He asked, noticing how I was all but retreating back to go into the house, but when I saw he noticed me walking away, I cursed myself. It’s rude to walk away from a conversation like this… I guess I can just let him talk till he gets bored of me… I nodded, forcing a nervous smile, but luckily he didn’t seem to notice as he continued on happily.

“Great! I thought I said something bad, but whatever!” He said animatedly. Are all Pokemon in the village as enthusiastic as him? I pondered, wringing my paws nervously. “Oh, that reminds me, you’re new here, right? Then I’ll show you around!” This broke my thoughts.

“Huh? B-but Mr. Nuzleaf sai-” I began to protest, but they were drowned out as he pushed me forward, still talking as happy as can be. I don’t think he even breathes!

“What’d you say your name was? Or did I ask that already? I did, didn’t I? My name is Zero, by the way! I’m not being annoying, am I? Oh quit it you big Miltank!” He said with a jolly laugh. That’s not something you should be laughing about! I thought in my head, but I was far too overwhelmed to say anything and just let myself be pushed along by the Froakie. 

“Oh, and this is the village square!” He said, grabbing my hand to pull me towards a gate. I felt my face burn a bit at suddenly holding his hand. Why is this happening to me?! I squeezed my eyes shut when suddenly I felt him let go.

“Ta-daa! We’re here!” He announced. I peeked open an eye, and then blinked them both open, stunned at the sight. “This is Serene Village, with this plaza as the heart!” He jumped forward a bit, as if he was proud of the fact. I myself was too captivated by the amount of stuff that surrounded me.

“Wow…” I said, looking around. Everywhere I looked, the entire place was decked with bright colors, banners hanging by strings above. On the grassy floor, dirt paths trekked throughout with brightly colored flowers growing amongst the grass. At the center of the plaza where he led me, on the ground a series of tiles in bright reds, blues and yellows lay spread out on the ground. A bunch of tents and stalls were set up around the edges of the plaza with a single tall building at the side. Everywhere I looked, Pokemon talked happily to each other, greetings exchanged before moving on with their day. 

“I know it may not look like much, but it’s got all the basic things you need,” Zero said cheerfully, looking around. I turned to him, and for the first time that day I felt a genuine smile grace my lips.

“It’s wonderful,” I said gently and sincerely. I guess he must not have expected that, as he blinked in surprise and then scratched his chin, his face turning purple from his embarrassment. 

“That’s great,” he simply said, clearly not used to such kindness. I giggled a bit, still looking around at all the life that seemed to fill the little plaza. Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought. And this all seems so… familiar. How? I don’t think I’ve been here before. Or at least, not that I remember. I pondered it a bit as I continued to look around, but then a sudden cry broke my thoughts and made both me and Zero jump a bit.

“There you are, Zero!” I stepped back fearfully as a very upset looking green Pokemon stepped forward, but he ignored me completely and had his eyes on the Froakie. Zero jumped in fright.

“Mr. Lombre!” He said, a bit scared. What’s going on? I looked between the two as the older Pokemon advanced.

“You! You went and tramped all through my lotus pond, didn’t you!?” He accused, glaring at Zero. Zero took a step back with his hands up.

“I-it wasn’t like that! I was just having a little adventure!” He tried to explain, backing up slowly. He looked like he was about to turn tail and run when another voice called out from the other side of the plaza.

“Zero! Stop. Right. Zere!” I watched as a large brown Pokemon stepped over, also glaring at the Froakie.

“You are ze one who vent into my cave, aren’t you?!” She also accused him. “Not only that, you took ze treazure I had hidden inzide, didn’t you!?” She slowly approached, looking like she was about to give him a large piece of her mind. He slowly stepped backwards away from the two angry Pokemon.

“Ms. Hippopotas! N-no I was exploring a dungeon, and I, um, well I… Well you know how it goes! You get a reward after clearing a dungeon, right?” He explained, a very nervous and scared smile plastered on his face as he held his hands up in defense. This time he was about to run away, but another voice called across the plaza, stopping him in his tracks.

“Hold it right there, Zero!” We all turned to see a large blue, turtle-like Pokemon. Lombre immediately recognized him, and so did the others.

“Carracosta!” He said in mild surprise, as if he was used to this. 

“Pops!” Zero exclaimed. I turned to the older blue Pokemon who walked over to the Froakie. That’s Zero’s dad? He looks like he’s…

“This been where you’ve been loitering, child?” Carracosta’s low voice boomed as he glared down at the much smaller Water type. He’s scary! I thought nervously, extremely glad I wasn’t in Zero’s place. “What about your chores back home, eh? Playing hooky again, eh?” He scowled, daring the Froakie to tell him otherwise, and poor Zero did just that. 

“No! Pops, I had a real reason this time!” He began, but Carracosta wasn’t having any of it.

“AND you’ve been snacking on the Oran Berries from my field again, weren’t you!?” His volume increased. I glanced at Zero, shocked. He’s gotten into a whole mess of trouble! But this time Zero defiantly stood up, as if trying to act like the grown-up he wasn’t. 

“I was not!” He glared back.

“You have!” Carracosta boomed back angrily. 

“Have not!” 

“I want the truth from you, child!” Carracosta stepped forward, anger plastering his face. 

“Yeah, I did eat ‘em. They were delicious!” Zero suddenly broke into happy laughter as if he just made the funniest joke in the world. I stood back, watching exasperatedly. Zero… That’s not something you should joke about, especially if you got in trouble! I wanted to say, but I kept my mouth shut in fear that the grown-ups would turn on me next. Luckily I was completely ignored as suddenly all the villagers seemed to spy the Froakie.

“Everyone, Zero’s been found!” They all called out. He stepped back, a worried look on his face.

“Wuh-oh!” He said before making a dash back the way we came. I turned around in time to see a mob running after him, all yelling about catching him. I stared at the retreating mob in a daze, unsure as to what I just witnessed. That was… unexpected. I looked around, and then realized I was all alone in the plaza. 

Fear sitting at the pit of my stomach, I looked around in a slight panic as I didn’t know what to do, but then shook my head. Just relax April… I took a few deep steadying breaths before looking around again, but this time thought of it like I was just here on a walk. Mr. Nuzleaf said to stay at home, but… Feeling curiosity get the better of me, I decided to look around a bit before heading back. 

Yeah, I should be able to handle walking around here on my own… right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh April, you really need to get a hand on that fear of yours! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and Zero's spontaneousness, I tried to stay true more or less to the game, but as I said, things will be different, so look out for that later. R&R, thanks!


	5. Ch. 4: Guts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April explores the plaza and learns a younger Pokemon is in trouble! Worried about what could've happened, she follows a few of them out of the village...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer than others, but I decided to increase the pace of the story a bit since I think this is more of a side thing, or a filler to be exact, but hopefully it turned out alright anyways? Enjoy!

Not knowing what else to do, I walked around the plaza, carefully more or less skirting around any of the Pokemon that happened to walk through. I walked over to a stall where a lizard-like Pokemon was humming happily as he organized his wares on the foldable shelves behind him. Curious as to what he had to sell, I approached him slowly, and with my small stature I peeked over the counter to see what was on the shelves.

On the shelves, there were a lot of different items I’ve never seen before. On one shelf, there were a ton of berries, and I recognized a few of them as Mr. Nuzleaf showed me on the way to the village. Another shelf had many baskets filled with… seeds? Those seeds are really big… They were about the size of a small pebble and all looked very similar except each type had a different little pattern on the side. Another shelf had a lot of small blue spheres. ...Fortune-telling orbs? I frowned at them, more than a little confused, and I was about to get the nerve to speak up when I heard the sound of talking behind me, really angry talking.

Did Zero get caught and getting punished? I turned around, but instead I saw two small Pokemon fiercely talking to each other. Well, more like the pink-deer Pokemon was angrily glaring down a snail-like, nervous Pokemon. I shook my head, thinking that they probably got into an argument over something silly and opted to ignore it before I got myself any more exposed than this. I better go back to Mr. Nuzleaf’s house… he’ll be mad if he comes back and I’m gone… I was about to turn around and hopefully find my way back when I heard the angry one speak up really loudly, and very angrily. 

“Goomy went into the forest all by himself?” The taller Pokemon scowled angrily, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if she went and used an attack on the smaller Pokemon. He began to talk fast in his defense. “I bet you and Pancham have something to do with this, don’t you, Shelmet?” She angrily accused, glaring him down.

“Th-that’s not fair, Deerling!” He defended himself weakly, very intimidated by her stare. “He said he wanted to go himself! W-we just-”

“You just nothing! You and Pancham are always picking on poor Goomy! Take me to where he went… Now!” She ordered angrily. Shelmet almost jumped in fright before quickly leading her through the gate that seemed to lead out of the village. 

As I watched them go, a sense of urgency and worry seeped through my veins. This ‘Goomy’ seems to be in a lot of trouble… But, leaving the village so soon… and with the Beheeyem might still come by… Plus Mr. Nuzleaf would be really angry if he found out… Weighing my options, I nodded, trying to suppress my urge to follow them. They should be fine by themselves; besides, I have nothing to do with it and they can take care of it themselves.... Right? 

I turned away, starting to walk back to the small bridge on the other side of the plaza when I paused mid-step. More than fear, a different type of feeling filled me as I thought about what Deerling said. ‘You and Pancham are always picking on poor Goomy!’ ... Does that mean that Shelmet and Pancham bully him? When the word ‘bully’ came to mind, a strong feeling flowed through me, almost like a mix of anger and determination but stronger.

Bullies… I really can’t stand them! My mind made up, I followed the two Pokemon out of the village, not even thinking about being scared any more. 

0o0o0

Once I found them, I secretly followed them through the woods, because even though I was feeling much braver than usual, I was still definitely not up to just up and talking to others. Shelmet lead Deerling through the woods, the whole time the two of them going back and forth about Goomy, mostly she just being angry at him. As we went, I felt the fiery determination wane a bit, nervously looking over my shoulder every now and then to make sure nothing was there.

I’m just being paranoid, there’s nothing there, I told myself. I breathed a sigh of relief when Shelmet and Deerling finally made it to another child Pokemon, this one very bear-like. Like a panda… How do I know what these are? I frowned at the realization, but shook it off as they talked to each other. I hid behind a tree, debating whether or not to go and talk to them, but opted to wait.

“...What! He still hasn’t come out yet!?” I startled out of my thoughts when Deerling suddenly exclaimed with worry. Curious and worrying a bit myself, though I didn’t know quite why, I crept through the trees a bit closer to hear better. The bear-like Pokemon nodded his head.

“That’s right, and it’s been a while, too. I knew he was a total wimp,” he said with a smug smile on his face. Seeing him pleased with another Pokemon lost in the woods by himself for some reason got my blood boiling again. 

Glaring hard at the bear-like Pokemon, I noticed a faint glow emanating from him. Surprised, I ignored them as they continued to talk and saw the other two also had strange, soft glows around them. Huh? They can glow? I frowned, my confusion dampening my anger. As my anger faded, so did the glows. I blinked in surprise. What was that? But again Deerling’s own anger made me tune back into their conversation.

“You are so mean, Pnacham! Goomy isn’t even the same age as us!” She glared at them. The two were going on, laughing while calling this ‘Goomy’ names. Again, I felt my own anger rise at the two bullies, slightly confusing me. I don’t even know Goomy, but it still makes me very angry to hear him getting bullied like this… Well, it doesn’t matter, no one should be treated like this! I thought, fueling my own rage. 

“It’s his fault for trying to act tough, and we just thought to teach him how harsh the big world is,” Pancham said with a sly grin that I really wanted to just wipe off his face. 

“And if something happened to him out there? What are you going to do about it then, huh?” Deerling challenged, staring him down. Not giving him time to response, she stepped forward with a determined and angry look. “I’m going in after him!” She stated, moving forward. Immediately, Pancham and Shelmet moved to block her.

“No way! You can’t go in there, Deerling!” Shelmet said with worry that shocked me immensely. They’re worried about her but not about Goomy? 

“What if something happened to you? We can’t let that happen to our idol!” Pancham fiercely shook his head. “We’re not letting you step a foot into such a dangerous place!” I just barely held back my own retort, my dislike for the two bullies increasing. These two are a couple of idiots! I declared in my head, ignoring the fact that I knew it was wrong to call others’ names, but I was too mad to really consider it. Deerling seemed to think the same as she turned her anger towards him.

“Are you kidding me? Then fine! YOU go in after him!” She said in more of a commanding voice then a challenge. I huffed, nodding in silent agreement with her. It’s their fault he went in there, so it should be them who went to get him! 

“Y-you want us to go? Into the Foreboding Forest?” Pancham’s demeanor immediately shifted, and again I saw the glow form around them, except this time his was a wavering blue. He’s scared? Really? I naturally recognized what the glow represented, ignoring the fact I didn’t know why. Shelmet’s glow also changed to a wavering blue, but his was far more pronounced. Deerling’s glow was a blazing red. After a moment, Pancham tried to play it cool.

“...No way, why would we do that?” He immediately spoke fast, trying to clear up any misunderstanding Deerling may have picked up, though I could tell from her glow she didn’t buy it. “I mean, i-it’s not like we’re scared or anything like that. I d-don’t want you getting the wrong idea or whatever!” 

...Yeah, okay. Not able to watch this any longer, I immediately decided what to do. If none of them will go in and find the missing Pokemon, then… Feeling a surge of unnatural fearlessness, I stepped out of the shadow of the tree and walked over to them. Shelmet was the first one to notice me.

“Hey, who’s that?” They all turned to me in a mix of confusion and mild surprise, their glows shifting colors and densities. “Haven’t seen you around before,” he said in an arrogant voice that made my blood boil even more, ignoring that the glow around them seemed to get clearer. 

“I’ll go look for Goomy for you,” I said, surprising myself with how steady and sure my voice sounded. The others looked just as shocked if not more so. 

“You’ll go in for us?” Pancham said in shock. 

“Y-you know this place is, like, super scary, right?” He also said in surprise. At the thought of heading into a super scary forest by myself I immediately felt my determination waiver, the glow of three Pokemon fading away, but I reminded myself that the lost Pokemon is in there all by himself. Goomy is in there by himself, and I know how he feels to be lost and alone… I nodded. 

“W-well… If you want to go in there, we won’t stop you. But it’s no skin off our backs if you get into trouble in there,” Pancham said arrogantly. I huffed, frowning at him and Shelmet, surprising them with my sudden glares. You should both be ashamed of yourselves! I scowled in my head, but kept my mouth closed as Deerling turned to Pancham. 

“Where was Goomy going, anyways?” She frowned. 

“He shouldn’t be that far from the entrance. There’s a big ol’ piece of paper in there, and we said that if he could write his name on it as proof he went all the way inside, we would admit he had some guts. But I doubt that wimp would have done it,” he said, sharing a smirk with Shelmet. She turned to me, a guilty but hopeful look crossing her face. 

“Are you sure you’re up to this?” I nodded, giving her a reassuring smile that contradicted the fear inside me. They don’t need to know I’m scared out of my mind right now. “I’m sorry you got caught up in this. Will you really help?” Seeing her unsure look for some reason made me feel even braver.

“Yeah, I’ll go help get your friend out,” I said assuredly. I walked over to the entrance of the forest, quickly realizing it was a mystery dungeon. As I walked through the entrance, I heard Deerling call back to me.

“Be careful in there!” And then I was inside, and couldn’t hear them any more. 

0o0o0

Just find Goomy and I can leave quickly… I can find him, right? I nervously looked around the room I entered. This forest was far different from the few Mr. Nuzleaf lead me through on the way to the village. It was far darker and much more creepy, as if a shadow constantly hung over the place. At least I know why they call it the Foreboding Forest… With the many shadows and dark areas in the close, tangled trees, I immediately began to have the feeling like something was watching me… No, I’m just being paranoid again! Now focus April, I told myself, steeling my nerves before hesitantly walking forward. 

Let’s see… So first I have to find the stairs. I saw there was only one passage for me to take, so I slowly approaches it. The closed in trees almost seemed to loom in eerily, as if they were thinking about capturing me, or worse… Swallowing hard, I fearfully followed the path, my determination and fiery will all but having been put out. 

When I reached the end of the path, I peered behind one of the trees and looked into the room. From what I could see, there wasn’t any wild Pokemon inside, but there was something brown on the dry, dead grass. I think I’ve seen one of those before… Cautiously and slowly, I walked over to the brown thing and saw that it was a seed of some kind. 

I think they’re called Reviver Seeds or something like that… I reach down and picked it up. The sand-colored see was about half the size of my paw with a swirl design on both sides. I’ll take this with me just in case. Holding the seed tightly in my hand, I looked at the different passages. 

Um… This one looks good, I thought as I headed down the nearest path, feeling a bit better now that I had the seed with me. Not seeing another Pokemon as I went down the path, I slowly began to relax. Maybe my luck is finally turning around, I thought happily, but of course that was when a wild Pokemon turned the corner. I immediately felt myself freeze as the Furfrou barked it’s challenge, steadying it’s stance for a fight. 

“U-uh…” I stammered, not knowing what to do. It frowned at my hesitation before barking again, waiting for my move impatiently. No, April, concentrate! Now… attack!

“V-vacuum wave!” I shouted, feeling the surge of energy leave my paw as I thrust it forward. It hit the Furfrou, causing it to stumble a bit and wince from the super effective move. It turned it’s glare to me before rushing forward for a tackle. Surprised, I closed my eyes as it hit me. 

“Oomph!” I said, falling back. It didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would, but it did surprise me greatly as I stood back up. The Furfrou glared, awaiting my move. Let’s see, ah… 

“Force palm!” I shouted, letting my instincts choose my next move for me. I ran forward, feeling my hand charge with energy before hitting the surprised Furfrou square in the chest. The super effective move caused a lot of damage, this time knocking it out. I stood in shock, realizing I just won a battle by myself.

“I-I did it,” I said to myself after a moment. I really did it! I thought, pride flowing through me. Maybe I can do this after all! Confidence, an unfamiliar feeling, settled itself inside me as I strode through the forest, not nearly as frightened by it before. 

After fighting a few more Pokemon and eating a very yummy oran berry I found, I finally found the stairs. I hope I find Goomy soon… I thought, a bit disappointed at having not find the lost Pokemon on the first floor. Maybe he’s on the next floor…?

0o0o0

I REALLY hope I find him soon! I thought as I made my way through the fourth floor. I had gotten a bit used to fighting all these Pokemon, but the fights were really starting to wear me down, especially with those few close calls. Thankfully I found a bunch of really useful items, and I was very happy when I found a delicious apple at one point, not realizing how hungry all this fighting made me. 

I looked around me as I made my way through another path, but as I got closer to the end of it I was very surprised to hear a worried voice coming from the exit. 

“U-uuuhh… Why did I come here… I’m so scared…” The voice sounded like the owner was on the verge of tears. I don’t know who that it is, but they need help! I hurried forward to the end of the path and suddenly came to a small grotto. I must’ve looked really scary to the poor Pokemon, as he immediately edged back, tears in his eyes. He looked like a purple slug, but he was clearly quite a bit younger than me. Almost naturally, I slowly approached him and bent down.

“Hey there, are you alright?” I asked gently. He seemed surprised by my kindness as he stopped shaking in fear, looking at me with his dewy eyes.

“Y-You’re not going to fight me?” He asked fearfully. I shook my head, giving him a soft smile. He seems pretty young to be here all by himself… I glanced down and saw a large piece of crumpled paper on the ground. On it, I saw it looked very much like the footprint-alphabet on few signs I’ve seen so far. It’s a bit sloppy, but it looks like it says… Goomy? I glanced back up at the younger Pokemon who sniffed, his eyes still wet. So he must be the one that came into the forest all by himself… He’s not a coward, he’s very brave. 

“Come on, Deerling is waiting for you outside of the dungeon,” I said gently, prompting him to follow me. He sniffed again, but calmed down as he nodded. I smiled as I picked up the piece of paper and folded to be easier to carry. 

“Now, stick close to me as we make our way out, alright?” I told him, turning back the way I came. He nodded, scooting forward.

As we made our way back to the beginning of the dungeon, I quickly found out for someone younger than me and much more frightened, he was pretty strong. Despite that, he fearfully stuck close to me, using only long-ranged attack moves in an attempt to keep the wild Pokemon we fought as far away as possible. 

He reminds me of a younger brother or something, I smiled as I he finished off another Taillow that we tagged-teamed. Even with his strong attacks and all that, he still stuck very close to me all the way back, with my mindset only on protecting him till we got out. 

Huh… I’m not even scared any more. I guess having something to protect makes it easier to go on even if it is scary. As we neared the entrance, I frowned, lost a bit in my thoughts. This all feels so familiar, though I’m certain I’ve never been here before, let alone be a Pokemon since I was human… So then why does this almost feel like deja vu? Pondering the thought, I only noticed how far we came when Goomy suddenly exclaimed happily.

“Deerling!” He shouted excitedly before rushing ahead. I blinked up as the pink four-legged Pokemon ran forward to meet him. When the met, she gave him what I suppose was her version of a hug, putting one of her forelegs around the shivering younger Pokemon. 

“I-It was so scary!” He cried. She said something I didn’t catch as I came forward, smiling at the happy reunion. Pancham and Shelmet snickered at each other when they saw the frightened younger Pokemon, again making me mad. Those two… Wait, that’s right!

“And he’s not all that came out of the forest,” I said, grinning as I unfolded the piece of paper and put it on the ground. 

“What? You actually brought back the paper?” Pancham turned to Goomy who had calmed down a bit. He sniffed while nodding, looking a bit proud of himself. Pancham and Shelmet stepped closer to get a better look at the writing. They have to admit he has more courage than they thought, I thought with a sense of justice. But, to my dismay, Pancham just began to laugh.

“What’s up with this writing? It’s sloppy and all over the place!” He laughed, Shelmet joining in. What? Seriously? I glared at them, but before I could speak up Goomy yelled at them in defense. “It’s not sloppy!” He said back, but that just made them laugh more. 

“Too funny! I bet you were too scared to even write properly!” Shelmet teased. 

“This is hilarious! Let’s go show this to everyone!” Pancham laughed, picking up the paper. “See ya, suckers!” The two quickly walked back, laughing and joking with each other. 

“Hey!” Deerling called after them, but they were long gone. “Ugh, I’ve had it up to here with them!” She huffed frustratingly, but then quickly turned to the younger Pokemon. 

“And you too, Goomy! I’m glad that you’re safe and sound, but what would’ve happened if she wasn’t here to help? You really need to stop letting them pick on you like this.” Deerling said, concern and a bit of exasperation entering her voice. Goomy sighed tiredly, clearly used to having this type of conversation but not seeming to be able to do anything about it.

“I know, Deerling… It’s just I wanted to show I had real guts, too…” I was tempted to step in and tell him he did as seeing him or anyone so disheartened made me feel like I had to do something, but I decided against it as his trusted friend could comfort him much better than a complete stranger. 

“You can’t let them goad you like this, or they will make you do something crazy some day! Well… You did give it your all, that’s for sure.” Goomy immediately perked up, eyes sparkling. “You made it all the way there alone and even wrote your name on the paper like they asked.” 

“D-Deerling!” He said happily, looking to be on the verge of tears again, except this time very happy tears. Yup, Goomy had real guts to do that… More than I could ever muster. I smiled to myself, happy that things turned out well in the end. Though it still infuriates me that those two would just bully him into doing that.

“...And, it’s thanks to you that Goomy got out of there in one piece. We really do owe you,” Deerling turned to me. I blinked in surprise, and immediately felt my accursed shyness being brought up again, but despite this I shook my head.

“N-no, it’s alright, really; I-I mean, anyone would’ve helped if they heard what happened…” I tried to downplay her praise, since getting praised really made me uncomfortable. ...Though it is a nice feeling to help others.

“No, it’s thanks to you that I got out!” Goomy said cheerfully, smiling brightly at me. Embarrassed, I shifted my paws as I glanced away. Ugh, I really hate my timidness… Though I really did feel like I was overly praised for something that others would definitely do. 

“Yeah, thank you… um…” Deerling tilted her head, frowning a bit. “We never did get your name, did we?” I hastily spoke, trying in a failing attempt to keep my voice steady.

“M-my name is April…” I muttered, silently cursing myself for sounding so weak, but the two didn’t seem to take notice as they smiled to me. 

“Alright, April, do you want to walk back with us to the village?” Deerling offered. I looked at her in surprise. Really? Walk together… like friends? I felt a strange tug in my chest, but nodded happily. 

“I would love to,” I said cheerfully. As we made our way back, talking about different things, I couldn’t help but notice a strange feeling of longing hanging over me…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I suck at ending chapters...) Anyways, next chapter April goes to school! Wonder how that will turn out~ R&R, thanks!


	6. Ch. 5: School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April is totally (not) excited for her first day of school!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, first day of school! Everyone's favorite part of the year, and of course the worst is the last day of school because you know, summer vacation, who needs it, am I right? XD Hope you enjoy this chapter!

“After I done told you not to leave the house, you up and left the village?!” I flinched at the angry voice. Though I was staring down at my paws, I could feel Nuzleaf’s angry gaze piercing through me. I knew he was going to be angry… 

It was really late when me, Deerling, and Goomy got back to the village. Of course the first thing I did was run all the way back to Nuzleaf’s house, but when I walked through that door and saw his livid face I knew straight away I was in for a terrible scolding.

“I done told you to stay inside till I got home, didn’t I?” He stared me down, waiting for a response. But everything I’d say would be an excuse…

“You’d best learn to mind your elders next time!” His voice shifted to a more concerned tone, making me feel even more guilty. I began to mutter an apology when he continued.

“Hm… Well…” His tone became more softer with understanding, surprising me. Huh? He was looking out the window, where night had fallen and I could make out all of the sparkling stars. “It ain’t like I can’t understand the itch to go see the wider world out there.” He… He likes to explore? I wondered, but then thought it was pretty obvious considering I met him in the middle of the woods. 

“I reckon this must be new to you an’ all; it’s a fine thing having a love for adventure in your heart… And it’s nice to see you wandering out on your own ‘spite being scared silly just to enter this village,” he grinned in a kindly teasing manner. Remembering how earlier I was very scared at the idea of entering the village, I shuffled my paws, more than a little embarrassed. 

“Grown-ups will always be sayin’ you can’t do this or that… But there are things in life you’ll never learn if you don’t experience them yourself.” I must have looked very surprised at his laid-back and understanding words since he just chuckled. “I reckon I’m just mighty lax when it comes to adventurin’ and such. So if you want to adventurin’ around the village, you go right ahead… But be careful out there, alright?” He winked at me, and I immediately felt new-found respect for him. 

Wow, I never thought I would meet an adult who was so open to the idea of letting children go out on their own like this… Though maybe I met one when I was a human? Hm… I thought about my lost memories again, but shrugged it off, knowing just thinking about it would give me a headache. 

“But from tomorrow mornin’, you’ll be attendin’ class at the school,” he reminded me, and felt my excitement damper a bit. I still really don’t want to go… But if I must, I might as well. I nodded reluctantly. “Alright, g’night.” He said as I walked to the storage room that I’m sleeping in. 

School… I don’t remember much of my human life - actually, I don’t really remember anything at all - but the thought of it… I really just hope the school day goes by fast… I sighed as I climbed into the little makeshift bed of hay. Despite the fact that I was laying on basically dried grass, it was surprisingly really comfortable. 

Will I ever remember who I am? Sleep settling in from such a tiring day with a bunch of unexpected events, I drifted off, the feeling of longing still lingering in my heart.

0o0o0

“Mornin’, April.” I yawned as I entered the main room of the house. With all the crazy and quite scary things that happened yesterday, I had slept surprisingly really well. At least I got to sleep good; sleeping inside a house is much better than sleeping outside, even though the nights here are pretty warm. I stretched waking myself up.

“Good morning, Mr. Nuzleaf,” I said, sleep laidening my voice as my body slowly awoke. I walked over to where the tub of water was and proceeded to splash some in my face, waking myself up. The cold water did the trick as I blinked in surprise at the sudden shock before unconsciously shaking my head, trying to rid myself of the droplets. 

“Don’t go getting the floor all wet on the first day,” Nuzleaf chuckled as he glanced up from piece of paper he was reading. Getting the floor wet? Realizing that I was shaking all the water off my face without thinking, I instantly halted, feeling my face burn with shame and embarrassment. Oh my gosh, I got water all over the floor, and I wasn’t even paying attention! Before I could get my panic to reign in enough to mutter a coherent word of apology, I heard him chuckling again.

“Don’t worry none ‘bout it,” he said reassuringly, again as if he could read my mind. How does he know-? But when I glanced down at the water tub, I made a terrifying discovery; all my emotions showed on my face, clear as day. 

Am I that open with my feelings and thoughts?! I panicked, my fear only growing when I looked down at my reflection again, seeing how my worry was practically painted across my face. Ugh, this is so embarrassing! I yelled in my head, putting my paws on my head in an attempt to hide my burning face. To my dismay, my clear embarrassment just made Nuzleaf laugh even louder. 

“Anyways, ‘bout time to head on to school,” he said, a laugh still on his face as he headed outside. I took a steadying deep breath before grabbing an apple to eat on the way. Relax April, he was just teasing you, I thought unhappily as I felt the burning sensation on my face go away, but it still lingered as my shame sat in the pit of my stomach.

Once outside, he lead me through the village back into the plaza. As we went, my embarrassment gave way to a gut-wrenching worry as we neared the school. School… Why do I have to go? Will my classmates be nice? Maybe I should just sit all the way in the back and try not to get called on… All my thoughts were along those lines as I followed Mr. Nuzleaf along a grassy path. Finally I saw an arch ahead with foot-print writing on the top.

‘Serene Village School’ I guess it’s an outdoors school? Despite my nervous fear, curiosity got the best of me when I saw that the ‘school’ was almost entirely outdoors except for a few small buildings. From what I could see, the entire campus was in a grove on a soft, grassy slope. At the top of the slope was where one of the buildings was, looking over the rest of the school. Underneath came two other buildings, and then underneath those was what I figured served as the main classroom.

An outdoors classroom? I can’t seem to remember much about being Human, but I’m pretty sure classrooms were almost never outside. The chalkboard was seemed to be nothing more than a really thin and long black stone held upright by a cleverly twisted wooden stand. In front of it was tree stump cut at an angle, allowing for the teachers that stood behind it to better see their papers. Where the students were supposed to sit were made up of rows of squarish wooden slabs, leaning at a slight angle. I wonder what happened if it rained, I passingly wondered as I looked up at the clear blue skies as we reached the entrance. 

“Good morning, Farfetch’d,” Mr. Nuzleaf suddenly called out, making me blink out of my thoughts. I was too absorbed in studying the actual school that I never noticed there was a Pokemon standing by the gate. Almost on instinct, I moved to the right in an attempt to hide behind Nuzleaf and hopefully not get noticed by the brown-duck Pokemon. I kept my head low, rubbing my arm nervously as I heard the other Pokemon happily answer back as we walked up to him.

“Ah, Nuzleaf, nice to see you! What brings you here today?” He asked, curiosity clear. Please don’t talk about me, I hoped against hope, knowing the only reason he was there was because I had to go to school. Despite knowing this, I hoped anyways, and as expected my fears came true as Mr. Nuzleaf side stepped to the left, exposing me as he introduced me.

“I’m bringing young April here to school for her first day; She’s staying with me for the time bein’,” Mr. Nuzleaf answered casually, thankfully not going into details. The simple reply luckily seemed to satisfy the other Pokemon’s curiosity as he nodded in understanding as I just nodded a nervous and abrupt hello. Please don’t ask me, please don’t ask me...

“A new student? This will be interesting. Simipour is inside his office, and I believe Watchog is with him as well,” he said, indicating the group of buildings at the top of the school grounds with his plant stalk. A stalk of celery? Or is that a leek or something? I thought, finding it a bit humorous a duck Pokemon would be carrying that around, and stared at it curiously.

“Thank you. C’mon, April,” Mr. Nuzleaf said as he stepped past the other Pokemon into the school grounds. Realizing I was staring, I felt my face heat up again and gave a curt nod again before quickly following after him. It’s rude to stare at others, I scowled myself as I followed him up the slope. Though I was relieved when I realized none of the other students had come yet. At least I can save my embarrassment for later...

Once we reached the couple of buildings, I looked at them curiously as we passed. They all looked very similar in shape and design, making it hard to tell them apart. Like many of the houses back in the village, the buildings were roundish in shape like Mr. Nuzleaf’s house, but these were much smaller. I guess these are the offices and workplaces for the teachers and staff? Nuzleaf lead me to the top of the slope where the top-most building was. 

When he walked through the door casually, I hesitated behind. Maybe if I hurry now, I can sneak out without anyone noticing and- Oh, who am I kidding; what would leaving do? Nothing but get me into trouble. Sighing, I shuffled forward unwillingly. 

“-and that’s about it, Principal Simipour and Vice-Principal Watchog.” When I walked in, Mr. Nuzleaf was talking to a blue-monkey Pokemon and a brown ferret-like Pokemon. Or maybe a mongoose? Wait… Ugh, it’s really starting to annoy me that I know what a ‘ferret’ and ‘mongoose’ is but I can’t remember how! I know they’re not Pokemon, but what are they? Creatures like Pokemon? Frustrated, I shook my head as I hung back in the shadows of the doorway, trying not to draw attention to myself. Knowing I won’t learn anything by just thinking about what I can’t remember, I took the chance to glance around at the inside of the small building. 

I suppose this is the principal’s office, I thought as I looked at the neat and surprisingly carefully decorated single-room structure. At the center of the room near the back was a wooden desk with a mat and an inkwell next to it, probably to sign documents and such. On both sides were stone pools filled with clear, pristine water with small rocky and stone islands covered in brightly colored green moss. The entire floor was blue with an interesting white leafy-pattern breaking the colorful monotony here and there. Everywhere there were green plants growing, either in pots or from the cracks in between the wooden planks. This definitely wasn’t a principal’s office I was expecting, I thought in awe as I looked around.

“April, what’re ya doing standin’ in the dark like that? Don’t be rude and come greet Principal Simipour and Vice Principal Watchog.” I turned back to Nuzleaf who had turned to me and saw the other two Pokemon looking at me with mixed expressions. Realizing I was probably being rude not greeting the two, I hurried forward and bowed deeply, my face flushing again. 

“H-hello… sirs…” I muttered, my voice nothing more than a nervous whisper. Ugh, I sound like a coward or something! I berated myself, frowning down at my paws as I was still bowed. Though I am one. I mentally sighed, closing my eyes and wishing I was anywhere but there. The first thing I hear, however, is a jolly and lighthearted laugh. 

“Ho ho ho! Looks like we’ll have another fun addition to the class. What fun!” I glanced up slightly to see the jolly and kind face of Principal Simipour. Wow, he seems very nice, I thought, a bit stunned that the principal was as kind as him. He smiled brightly at me, seeming to be oblivious to my obvious surprise. 

“I’ll be more than happy to take the responsibility of educating her,” he said, smiling to Mr. Nuzleaf. Nuzleaf grinned down at me, a look of are you excited? crossing his cheery eyes. Feeling a bit better, I was able to give him a tiny smile back. Maybe this will turn out for the better after all, I thought hopefully.

“That’s good. I’ll be seein’ myself out, then.” He bowed respectively to the blue Pokemon but paused as he turned back, giving me a sideways smile. “Enjoy yourself, and don’t be so nervous,” he encouraged with a whisper. This time I was able to give him a full, genuine smile, not needing to reply back. Despite the lively mood, the Vice Principal didn’t seem as excited about my arrival.

“Hm… Just don’t go making any trouble. Arceus knows we already got enough troublemakers in our hands,” Vice Principal Watchog said wearily. “I can’t weather another scoundrel.” I blinked, a bit shocked and worried. Wait, does he think I’m a troublemaker? Or more importantly, does that mean there are bad kids in the class? I panicked internally, hoping he doesn’t mean there are bullies in the class. But there was Pancham and Shelmet from yesterday… I hope they’re not in the same class as me. 

“Now now, Vice Principal Watchog. I would say that’s quite unnecessary!” Simipour cut in, turning to his co-worker with a half-hearted scowl on his otherwise seemingly permanent cheerful face. “Do we truly have any troublemakers in our fine school?” I looked at the Principal with newly found respect. He really is a good person, huh? Maybe I was overreacting. But my hopes were quickly dashed as Watchog turned to him, a fire of annoyance in his eyes.

“Of course we do! One in particular! The very bane of my existence!” Watchog said with such sudden passion I stepped back, surprised. He doesn’t mean Pancham, does he? “You know exactly who I’m talking about Simipour, and don’t you deny it!” Wow, he must really not like that kid at all! I hope nothing happens for me to be at the center of that fury. I thought worriedly. To my surprise, Simipour answered back with calm patience.

“My dear Vice Principal, I’m sure you would never mean to speak ill of our lovely students, would you?” Despite his warm smile, I couldn’t help but notice the small but clear threat in those words. Before he could say more, we all heard a chorus of good mornings from several different voices out in the school campus, and I could recognize a few of them as the kids from yesterday.

“It seems as though the students have begun to arrive,” Simipour mused before turning to me. “Let’s introduce you to your new classmates, shall we?” He said with an encouraging smile. I nodded, feeling butterflies in the pit of my stomach at the thought of meeting so many new Pokemon all at once. Alright, remember what Mr. Nuzleaf said and just relax, I told myself before following him out of the building with Watchog behind.

Once outside, I saw what must’ve been the students standing or sitting in front of the wooden desks, talking animatedly to each other. I wish I was anywhere else but here, I thought for what must’ve been the fifth time that day. Nervousness and fear really started to sink in as I shuffled behind the Principal, keeping my head down and not looking at anyone. Principal Simipour moved to stand behind the teacher’s podium, and I took my place on the other side, staring down at my paws the entire time as I felt the other kids’ attentions turn to me and him.

“Everyone, I have a special treat for you today! We have a new friend joining the class.” I looked up in time to see him glance a warm smile my way before continuing. I again stared down at my paws, feeling the stares of the other students far more pointedly now. Just get it over with, just get it over with, I chanted in my head, wishing that the school day could end already. “You’ll be learning together from now on.” Oh, it’s over… But again, my hopes were crushed when I heard a familiar voice gasp from the back of the class.

“Th-that’s the kid who-?!” Pancham. I immediately recognized the shocked voice, but still didn’t look up when another voice cut in. 

“You’re the kid from yesterday!” I think that was Deerling. Feeling embarrassed now that they really did all have their attentions turned to me, I continued to stare downwards, shuffling my paws. Mercifully, Simipour spoke up.

“What’s that? It looks like some of you are already acquainted with our new friend,” he said, clearly happy at the development. “For those of you who are not, I’d like you to meet April,” he introduced me, and I again just stared down at my paws, but feeling it’s rude not to do something I gave a slight bow of greeting. I must look like a complete fool or something right now, I berated myself, but despite that I couldn’t help my nervous fear as I stood there awkwardly.

“April has just moved here and is staying with Mr. Nuzleaf, who you may know. I hope you’ll all get along well with her,” he said optimistically. Before anyone could do anything else, however, a loud crashing noise startled everyone as we all turned to the front of the school. What in the world? I thought, wondering what or who could be causing all the disturbance, and from the others’ looks they all thought similar things. To my surprise, I thought I heard a voice amidst the loud noise.

“I’m gonna be laaaaaaattteee!” He’s ‘gonna be late’? Who is? I frowned, more confused than before when suddenly whatever was making the noise came charging up the hill from the school’s main entrance in bustle of blue and white. Is that Zero-? Is all that I could think of before I realized he was coming straight at me. 

“W-wai-!!” I yelled, stepping back but found my path was blocked by the desk. This is gonna hurt- I closed my eyes when he ran into my straight on.

“Augh!” I cried on impact, and it hurt; It was almost as if he used an attack on me straight on! We both went down, me falling flat on face, my muzzle taking most of the damage, and him falling on his behind. As I laid there, my entire body in a bit of pain, I could just barely make out the Vice Principal’s voice over the noise that followed.

“Typical! The troublemaker strikes again!” He accused, a mix of astonishment and annoyance creeping into his voice. Despite my pounding headache I just contracted, I sidedly mused about what he said. Zero’s the troublemaker? That suddenly makes a lot of sense, I thought with dry unhearted humour. Zero was able to recover as I continued to lay there, my head suddenly feeling like a ton of bricks. 

“Whoa! Sorry sorry! Are you okay?!” His concerned yelling caused me to flinch, the loud sound only making my head hurt even more. I really don’t feel good right now… I thought unhappily, even as it became harder to think clearly. I don’t think I can make it… I really should have just left when I had the chance...

“Wah! Y-you’re the on-” His now panicked talking began to fade into fuzzy white static as I relaxed. I...I think… I’ll just… sleep… for a moment… And then I was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of anti-climatic I know. Anyways, thanks to a suggestion I've tried harder to put less of '...' in there to make the story flow more. C: R&R, thanks!

**Author's Note:**

> That's it! Again, really short, but... It IS a semi-novelization of the game. Let me explain what I mean:
> 
> By 'Semi-Novelization', I mean that the MAIN plot is MOSTLY the same as the plot of the game, but for the sake of my own character I imagine she is and the fact that in the game I thought of many different things I would change, I made a couple of changes, a few of them major, to the story line that deviates from it. If you played the game, I think you'll quickly realize when these changes occur.
> 
> That's it! Chapter 1 is almost ready, and I'll put that up as soon as possible! R&R, thanks!


End file.
